This invention relates to a protective headgear for use by wrestlers and other athletes who require protective covers for their ears during practice and contests. The headgear provides shock absorbency and protection for the ears in an easily adjustable and comfortable device that is also reversible from a first color to a second color and meets the requirements of international wrestling rules as promulgated by the International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles (FILA).
Amateur wrestlers are subjected to maneuvers and contact with opponents and the wrestling mat which can result in injuries to the outer ear surfaces and to the forehead. Such injuries can be the result of unintentional blows to the ear by opponents, abrasion by sliding contact with the mat, i.e., mat burn, and unintentional head contact between opponents, i.e., head butts. As a means of protecting against such injuries, ear protective devices are in wide-spread use and generally provide a pair of reinforced cup shaped protectors designed to cover the ears and connected by a plurality of generally adjustable straps to form a complete headgear wearable by wrestlers during a match.
Although reinforced protectors are allowed in high school, college and amateur wrestling leagues in the United States, international wrestling rules promulgated by FILA, the International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles, do not permit the use of any equipment having metal parts or hard, rigid shells. Such reinforced ear protectors as described in the present inventor""s prior patents, U.S. Pat. No. 5,504,945 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,058,516 are forbidden in international competition as are ear protectors exemplified by Marchello, U.S. Pat. No. 3,596,288 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,821,345, Dubner, et al., U.S. Pat No. 4,710,985, Keen, U.S. Pat. No. 2,898,596, Johnson U.S. Pat. No. 537,686, Roberts, U.S. Pat. No. 2,277,994 and U.S. Pat. No. 2,886,818, Helm, U.S. Pat. No. 3,311,921, Pukish, Jr., U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,327,316, and Holden U.S. Pat. No. 3,513,482. Because of this ruling, wrestlers either forego the use of ear protectors and risk injury, or they wear ear protectors that meet the rules but provide insufficient protection. In the case of female wrestlers, the rules require the wearing of conforming ear protectors regardless of the degree of protection provided.
In addition, international rules provide that wrestlers wear either red or blue singlets. The color is assigned to each wrestler by the officials at the match. Thus, if a wrestler decides to wear an ear protector he must have one to match the color assigned to him thereby necessitating the purchase and maintenance of two protectors.
Accordingly, there is a need in International Amateur Wrestling for an ear protector that meets international rules while providing sufficient protection, especially for female wrestlers. It would also be useful if such an ear protector were reversible between a red side and a blue side so that wrestlers would only need to carry one ear protector in their gear.
The present invention addresses these needs in a reversible ear protector that meets the international of non-rigidity, while providing sufficient protection, and that is fully adjustable to accommodate different sized wrestlers.
The present invention is an improvement over the prior art and provides an ear protector construction resulting in better protection to both the wearer and his opponent and which provides a degree of shock absorbency not found in similar devices. In addition, the invention provides a protective ear guard assembly that is fully adjustable for optimum comfort and protection as well as being reversible from a first color to a second color. Furthermore, the ear protector has a construction that meets international rules.
The present invention provides a reversible protective headgear for wrestlers comprising;
a left side ear protector,
a right side ear protector, and
a forehead protector,
wherein the protectors have a first color on one side and a second color on the other side and the protectors and headgear are reversible from a first condition with the first color outermost to a second condition with the second color outermost The present invention further provides a reversible protective headgear for wrestlers wherein the ear protectors have ear cups of a flexibly resilient polymer that provides protection to the outer ear without rigidity and is deformable so as to facilitate reversibility of the headgear from a first color to a second color.
The present invention still further provides a reversible protective headgear for wrestlers comprising;
a first ear protector comprising an ear cup of a size to fit over a human ear and receive the exposed auricle thereof, the ear cup comprising a sheet of flexibly resilient polymer formed into a cupped structure and confined between two sheets of partially compressed foam, at least one crown strap extending from an upper peripheral edge of the ear cup, and at least one occipital strap extending from a rear edge of the ear cup, each strap having releasable connection means,
a second ear protector comprising an ear cup of a size to fit over a human ear and receive the exposed auricle thereof, the ear cup comprising a sheet of flexibly resilient polymer formed into a cupped structure and confined between two sheets of partially compressed foam, at least one crown strap extending from an upper peripheral edge of the ear cup, and at least one occipital strap extending from a rear edge of the ear cup, each strap having releasable connection means,
an adjustable and releasable chin strap extending between lower peripheral edges of the ear cups and having a length sufficient to traverse the chin of a user,
an adjustable and releasable forehead strap extending between upper forward edges of the ear cups and having a length sufficient to traverse the forehead of a user,
the ear protectors having a first color on one side and a second color on the other side,
whereby the releasable connection means are co-operable to connect the first and second ear protectors into a structure to fit on the human head such that the ear cups fit over and receive a user""s ears and whereby the ear protectors are reversible, the ear cups being deformable from a first position with the first color outermost to a second position with the second color outermost
Thus, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved protective headgear for wrestlers.
It is a further object to provide an improved protective headgear that meets international regulations while providing a degree of shock absorbency and ease of adjustment.
It is a still further object to provide an improved protective headgear that is easily reversible from one color to another color.
Further objects and advantages will become evident from the following drawings and descriptions.